The little group of tulips among the crocuses at one spot in the garden turned out to be miniature tulips. I've found 3 daffodils so far although they've not opened yet, need to remember to get a few more bulbs in the autumn.
My
week began with going to the WI that I've not been to for 2 years.
It was in the morning just for this month and will be back to evenings
in April.
The
speaker had a slide show and told us all about an area around Perth in
Australia. He and his wife visit quite often as his wife's sister lives
there.
Before
retiring his back ground was as a botanist so he was particularly
interested in the flora and fauna and how things have changed with
forest clearance, crop failure due to weather changing and huge fires.
Some
really good photos of flowers and I had no idea about the number of
Marsupials there are in Australia - of all sizes, although sadly some
are now extinct on the mainland, just hanging on on a few small islands.
It was nice to see some people I'd not seen for ages and a good morning out.
The first few seeds have been sown in my windowsill electric propagator. Just Aubergines and Peppers at the moment as they need the longest growing season. I'll do tomatoes and cucumbers later. Everything sown now will need carrying in from the greenhouse at night and out in the morning once they get big enough for individual pots so I don't want too many things too soon.
I'm glad I topped up with 500 litres of heating oil in February - even then it had shot up to £338 which was £50 pounds up on last November. Next door neighbour said that he has just ordered 1000lt of heating oil and it was over £1,000!
Made a note of a TV programme to watch starting on the 22nd on Channel 4. It's called Living Like the Amish. I just hope the people they've picked to do it are not the moaning, argumentative and whinging sort they sometimes find for this time of "reality" TV! (Writing this I had a happy memory of Col moaning at me wanting to watch things like this - just as I moaned at him watching the awful Jeremy Clarkson on Top Gear - luckily neither of us were serious!)
The temperature went up a few degrees as the week went on and on Thursday the crocuses and tulips had the sun shining on them and looked like this........ completely different.
I got grass cut and edges strimmed yesterday before the wind got really cold again and rain moved in. Need to get the onion sets in soon, looks like much better weather next week which should get my gardening mojo going again.
Nothing in the diary for this weekend.
Think it will be car-boot sale on Saturday and then into town to get some photocopies done at the library and a quick tour of the charity shops and any shopping I need. Rugby on TV Saturday afternoon and my new books to get stuck into. Definitely no driving the extra distance to the Sunday boot sale at Woolpit this week, not with diesel prices likely to shoot up again before the end of the month.
Hope you all have a good weekend
Back Monday
Sue
I've been considering an electric propagator. What make and size is yours, please? The wilko ones seem quite reasonable - but currently out of stock here. Thanks for the heads up about the Amish programme (I love the film Witness, where Harrison Ford ends up in an Amish community) The spring bulbs look beautiful. Have a lovely weekend
ReplyDeleteIt fits on a window sill and comes with 7 little seed trays and their plastic covers. I got it to replace my old unreliable one from one of the seed company catalogues last year and it's made by Garland
DeleteIt sounds like you are getting well organized for getting your summer garden up and running. With the way inflation etc. is going, you may be very happy to have a good vegetable garden in the back yard :)
ReplyDeleteYes I must get going with more things soon. Just waiting for a few warmer days without the cold wind
DeleteHo hum the price of diesel means i will be grounded , we need everything for his endless hospital visits . Not helped by the fact the few small pleasures are viewed as frivolous by himself
ReplyDeleteThe diesel price is frightening - I shall really cut down on outings
DeleteI've not started to sow any seeds yet, they'd start off OK indoors, but then the greenhouse is too cold for them. Itching to get going, though.
ReplyDeleteThats the problem and why I always end up carrying things in and out until May!
DeleteNot started anything off here, although I did fling around a few handfuls of various Aquilegia seeds collected from my big collection at Ynyswen. With just me here to eat vegetables (K will only eat peas and broccoli), I shan't have large quantities off anything growing and will buy tomato and pepper plants from car boot sales.
ReplyDeleteHave fun at yours today - I imagine you strolling round now in the sunshine.
Someone mentioned heating oil being £1.33/L here last week (just as diesel was £1.95 but they had to drop when the Co-op opposite came back into operation following flooding, but I still think it's £1.75 down there. We shan't be going far either.
There wasn't a lot of sunshine at the car-boot sale - just a cold wind. It's sunnier now I'm home again.
DeleteI won't be going far again next week
Pleased you enjoyed the WI programme. I hope I can see the Amish programme and like Angela I liked the Witness film such an interesting like.
ReplyDeleteI am having a quiet day today and hope to get into the garden for a little while the sun is shinning at the moment.
Enjoy your weekend Sue and others.
Hazel
🌈🌈
I always think the film Witness should have a different ending!
DeleteWe still have a cold wind here in Suffolk although a bit of sun is nice
Such beautiful spring flowers to lift the heart and gladded the eyes. Thank you.
ReplyDeletexx
They look so different opened right up don't they
DeleteI checked yesterday on a site I use, it was £1.23 per litre with a 10 day wait.
ReplyDeleteThats double what it was just a few weeks ago and no cap on how far up it can go - worrying
DeleteThe first Spring in a new garden is lovely isn't it, you never quite know what will come through in the flower beds. The Amish programme sounds good, I shall look out for it.
ReplyDeleteThere are a few things I wouldn't have chosen in the garden and a lack of others but it's nice that there are empty spaces I can fill later.
DeleteCrude oil price stablished mid week and went down. Your neighbour was probably unfortunate in fixing a price at its height. I jsut went into Morrisons and the coffee machine broke down. I thought of you!
ReplyDeleteThat coffee machine needs replacing I think!
DeleteNow that there are car boot sales south of me and I can shop afterwards I probably won't go up to Diss so often unless I need to go in the Bank or building society
I shall be interested to see what the Amish programmes are like. David and I spent a day with an Amish community on one of our USA holidays some years ago. Although we found a lot of it strange and not to our liking they all seemed welcoming.
ReplyDeleteThe way they shun people is sad for families I think but they certainly have a strong work ethic
DeleteGosh heating oil is an extortionate price. I'm so glad we no longer have to rely on LPG for heating, I bet the price of that has rocketed too. We won't be driving far next week either Sue. I had to run G about a lot this last week and my petrol is already down to half a tank :(
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photo of the flowers. I love the colour :)
It's going up by the minute, like fuel at the pumps - frightening
DeleteYour WI gathering sounds excellent. Interesting topics and speakers are always appreciated. Your Spring flowers blooming in the sunshine are lovely. Seeing color in the garden is great after a long cold Winter. There is nothing blooming here and rain-fog to snow-rain is in the prediction. Starting seeds, seeing them sprout and planting outside will be great fun. We will all be busy in our gardens soon.
ReplyDeleteMy main reason for going to WI is for the speakers - usually interesting. Plus the cakes of course!
Delete
ReplyDeletemy friend and I were going to join the WI a few years ago but we couldn't afford the subscription fees! The price of oil is scary and another lady bloggy chum has said she cant even get any oil at the moment even with the huge price hike as supplies cannot be guaranteed. What a crazu world right now. My beautiful purple hyacinths are out in the front and there's zillions of bluebell leaves in the back garden. Prettiness is coming. We too have the rugby on - not looking good for England.
The subscription is one of the things against attracting more members. But when you hear how much some people pay for a theatre trip or adventure park then it's not so bad.
DeleteWatching Rugby now and wondering if England can get back in it
How nice that you were able to go to your previous WI and catch up with some old friends. Your crocuses and tulips are beautiful! It will be fun to see what other surprises come up in your garden. We visited an Amish community a few years ago and enjoyed our visit. They keep such neat gardens and make such a variety of delicious home made foods. You have to be careful driving near a community though because of the horse drawn carts. I found it overall to be a peaceful day during our visit.
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoyed the car-boot sale today and your reading tonight. Have a wonderful weekend!
Th TV programme looks interesting - a group of people spending a summer in Devon in the West Country
DeleteI love seeing the flowers growing, gives me hope that eventually spring will arrive here as well.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Spring is just round the corner and more blossom on the Flowering Cherry everyday
DeleteLove seeing the tulips. Glad you could get together with old friends.
ReplyDeleteNot sure about the Amish thing. I thought they weren't too amoured about being on television and such. There are many communities in a state pretty close to us and they don't like having their photos taken. I don't tend to watch 'reality' shows as they aren't even close to any reality I've lived (although maybe hoarders since working on Jane's house!)
This was filmed down in Devon last summer - I think the trailer says a group of 24 people.
DeleteI borrowed a lovely book of photos of the Amish that they allowed one man to take several years ago, but often only back view.
I am wondering about buying an Everhot room heater, to boost our heating in our garden room. We have gas central heating, but the radiator isn't enough when there is no sun. They might be good for houses that are oil heated. They work on a similar principle to a storage heater, but are rather more controllable I think, good to have if you struggle with stove heaters and (I hope) cheaper to run than ordinary electric heaters. https://everhot.co.uk/Everhot-Electric-Stove.aspx
ReplyDelete